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The Machina: An Ecosystem of Control System Experiments

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Conference

2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference

Location

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Publication Date

March 18, 2022

Start Date

March 18, 2022

End Date

April 4, 2022

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--39265

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/39265

Download Count

251

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Paper Authors

biography

Michael D. Robinson Saint Vincent College

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Michael Robinson received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. His academic experience includes positions as an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Messiah College, and as a Visiting Lecturer at Ashesi University in Ghana. His research interests include autonomous vehicle pedestrian avoidance algorithms as well as the development of threaded hands-on experiments to provide students with effective experiences of key engineering principles.

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Abstract

Students often struggle to connect the theory and abstractions in their first Automatic Control Systems course with the real systems represented by that theory. This disconnect poses a problem not only for later application of control systems, but also for coherent and effective learning of the theoretical material itself. To address this problem, a series of five hands-on experiments and demonstrations were developed, known collectively as the Machina (Latin for machine). This paper describes the easily portable hardware used in these experiments and maps their use in developing control theory. A brief discussion is also provided for how these experiments are threaded throughout the undergraduate curriculum to prepare students for their senior-year course in Control Systems.

Robinson, M. D. (2022, March), The Machina: An Ecosystem of Control System Experiments Paper presented at 2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--39265

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